Doughnut machine



July 9, 1940. P. J. TOEWS DOUGHNUT" MACHINE Filed March 25, 1939 g- 1 as,

Z Sheet Sheet 1 swam bo a Peter J. Toews Patented July 9, 1940 Y DOUGHNUT MACHINE PeterJ. Toew s, Minneapolis, Minn, assignor to D ughn Inc, Minneapolis, Minn, a core porationof Minnesota Application March 25, 1939, Serial No. 234,143

Claims.

My invention relates to doughnut machines and'partioularly to the type of doughnut machine in which the doughnuts are progressed along a way through the flow of the cooking liquid and successively delivered to a turner and subsequent- I ly discharged from the machine.

An object of the invention resides in providing a turner in which the doughnuts are inverted by the How of the cooking liquid.

Another object'of'the invention resides in providing a' turner in the nature of a twisted tube. V 'A still further object of the invention resides in providing a turner in which inversion is assisted by the aid of gravity.

An object of the invention resides in arranging the turner in an inclined position with reference to the surface of thecooking liquid in other portions of the machine; Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter illustrated and/or described.

- In the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view ofa doughnut machine illustrating an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal elevational sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig.3 is a cross sectional elevational view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

'Fig. 4 is, a view similar to Fig. 3 taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In doughnutmachines where the doughnuts are turned by 'a twisted'tube placed in a horizontalmanner, considerable force is necessary to procure inversion, particularly where irregular shaped doughnuts are produced. When the rate of'flow of the cooking liquid is increased the doughnuts are crowded together in the channel through which they pass and the doughnuts become flattened and misshapen. The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by arranging the turner on an incline s0 thatthe propulsion of doughnuts through the same and the inversion of the doughnuts is aided by gravity.

My invention as shown in Fig. 1 comprises a suitable frame work indicated by the reference character A which includes a plate I!) carried by suitable supports, not shown. This plate supports a pan l2 which is constructed with a trough [3 in which the cooking liquid is disposed. The pan I2 is constructed in such a manner that the trough I3 is provided with a number of parallel longitudinal runs l4, l5, l6 and I1. The runs l4 and are connected together by an end run 18. The runs I6 and I! are connected together by an end run 19. The runs l4 and I! are connected together by an end run 2|, while the runs it and it are connected together by an end run 222. By means of this construction a continuous way is formed in the trough I3 along which the cooking liquid travels and along which the doughnuts are caused to travel through the machine through the flow of the cooking liquid.

Above the run 2! of the trough I 3 at the locality where said run is joined to the run I 4 is located a doughnut cutter and former 23. This doughnut cutter comprises a cylinder 24 supported on the frame A which communicates with a hopper 25 attached to the same. The cutter 23 is operated by transmission mechanism 26 which includes a shaft 2? driven from a concentric shaft 28 through a chain 29 and sprockets 3i and 32. The shaft 28 is operated from an electric motor disposed beneath the plate It] and not shown in the drawings. Inasmuch as the construction of the cutter 23 and the operating mechanism therefor is well known in the art and does not form any particular feature of this invention the same has not been illustrated in detail and will not be further described.

The doughnuts upon leaving the doughnut cutter zt'are deposited upon a dropplate 30 which is disposed in the run M of trough l3 and submerged beneath the surface of the cooking liquid. This plate prevents the doughnuts from sinking to the bottom of the channel and causes the doughnuts to move out of the way so that the following doughnuts formed by the cutter are not deposited upon those previously formed. i

For the purpose of impelling the flow of the cooking device in the way in trough l3, a flow impelling device 33 is employed which includes a propeller 34 immersed in the cooking liquid and driven by a shaft 35. Shaft 35 has attached to it a pulley 3B which is driven by a belt 31. Belt 31 passes over idler pulleys 38 and 39 and is driven from a pulley 4| disposed below the plate ID. This pulley may be driven from any suitable source of power such as the electric motor used for driving the shaft 28 or from any other source of power. At the end of the run I! of trough I3 is disposed an endless conveyor 42. This conveyor constitutes a discharge device for the doughnuts-cooked in the machine. The conveyor 42 consists of a frame 43 U-shaped in cross section which is supported in a manner to cause the receiving end 44 thereof to be disposed in the way I! and below the level of the cooking liquid and with its upper end 45 above the plate Ill. The frame 43 rotatbearing 41 attached to the plate [0. This shaft carries at one end a sprocket wheel 48 and at its other end a sprocket wheel 49. A chain 5| passes over a sprocket wheel 52 fast on shaft 21 v '5 and the sprocket wheel 49 and thus drives the shaft 46 and sprocket wheel 48. The chain 53, forming part of the conveyor 42, passes over the sprocket wheel 46 and over another sprocket wheel 54 rotatably mounted and carried by the lower end 44 of the frame 42. The chain 53 has conveyor flights 55 attached to it, which engage the doughnuts and cause the same to travel upwardly and out of the trough I3.

The invention proper comprises a turner 56 which is shown in detail in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. This turner is mounted in the run I5 of channel i3 and extends across the same. The turner 56 consists of a flattened rectangular tube 51 which is twisted throughout the length thereof through an angle of 180 degrees. The forward portion of said turner is indicated by the reference numeral 58 and provides an inlet which is disposed in a horizontal plane. The central portion 59 of said turner provides a passageway which extends ver- 25, tically. The end 6! of said turner provides an outlet which is also arranged in a horizontal position. The turner used is similar to that disclosed in the patent to Gunsolley, Patent No. 1,516,962. The particular feature of the instant 30,-invention resides in arranging the turner 56 so "that the axis of the same, which is illustrated by a dotted line in Fig. 2 indicated by the reference numeral 62, inclines downwardly in the direction of travel of cooking liquid. In other Words, the 35,;discharge end 6! of the turner 56 is lower than the inlet end 58 thereof. The surface of the cooking liquid at the inlet end is illustrated by a line designated by the reference numeral 63 and at the outlet end by a line designated by the .,reference numeral 66. -Axis 62 is inclined relative to both of these surfaces and inclines from the surface 63 to the surface 64. It will be comprehended that, due to the inclination of the turner 46, the cooking liquid level drops through the turner thus causing gravity to aid in turning over the doughnuts. I have found by experiment that the rate of flow of the cooking liquid can be materially reduced when the turner is inclined as illustrated, so that injury to the doughnuts due to propulsionof the cooking liquid is greatly re- 'duced. I

For the purpose of controlling the entry of the doughnuts to the turner 56 and to the discharge conveyor 62, two pairs of gates, designated by the reference numerals 65, 66, 61 and 68 are em- 5 "ployed. The two gates 65 and 66 are pivoted on a shaft, 69 mounted on plate I0. These gates have cams ll extending therefrom. A sliding bar 12 mounted for reciprocating movement in guides '33 carried by the plate W has fingers l4 thereon. These fingers are adapted to alternately engage the cams H and to procure alternate manipulation of the gates into positions to control the passage of the doughnuts one at a time to the conveyor 42. Gates 6'! and 68 are similarly pivoted on a shaft l5 which is rotatably mounted in bearings l6, secured to the plate l0. These gates have fingers formed thereon which have not been shown in the drawings and which are adapted to be engaged by cams 11 on the bar 7 .12 so that the said gates operate in a similar manner to allow the doughnuts, one at a time, to enter the turner 56. Bar 12 is operated by an oscillating crank 18 and a connecting rod 19, said crank being driven by any suitable mechanism for the purpose.

The advantages of my invention are manifest. An extremely simple and practical construction is provided whereby the rate of flow of the cooking liquid may be reduced to minimize injury or damage to the doughnuts while the dough is still soft and by means of which the doughnuts may be positively inverted when passing through the turner; My invention does not require any mechanical or moving parts and will not get out of order.. With my invention irregular shaped doughnuts will be positively propelled through the turner and inverted. My invention will not injure the doughnuts during their passage through the turner, nor will it in any way impair the operation of the machine.

Changes in the specific form of my invention as herein disclosed, may be" made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to'protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A turner for doughnut machines in which the comprising a flattened, twisted'duct disposed in said way and through which the cooking liquid doughnuts are progressed, along a way through the flow of the cooking liquid, said turner travels, said duct being arranged so that the longitudinal axis thereof slopes downwardly from the inlet of the turner to the discharge end thereof.

2. A turner for doughnut machines in which the doughnuts are. progressed along a way through the flow of the cooking liquid, said turner comprising aflattened, twisted duct disposed in said way and through which the cooking liquid travels, said duct being arranged to cause the doughnuts entering the same to flow through the duct throughout its extremeextent by gravity.

3 A turner for doughnut machines in which the doughnuts are progressed along a way tot travels, the axis of said ductbeing a straight lineinclined relative to the surface of thecooking in advance of the turner. 4 I

5. A turner for doughnut machines in which the doughnuts are progressed along a way through the flowof the cookingliquid, said turner comprising a flattened, twisted duct disposed in said way and through which the cooking liquid travels,the axis of said duct at the center of the the inlet to the turner and the axis of the duct at the outlet of the turner being lower than the axis at the center of the turner.

PETER J. ToEws.

turner being lower than the'axis of the duct at .6535 

